Path to Recovery

My baby Nala has been limping on and off for the past 3 weeks and we finally took her to the vet to get checked out last Saturday. She has been favoring her back left leg and we’ve noticed that she’s been holding it ever so slightly in the air when she’s standing still. 

For some reason, she’s been jumping up on people, running outside with her sister, and running up the stairs still, but we noticed she’s been skipping some meals and has been slow to get up when laying down sometimes. For a while, we self medicated with some over the counter doggy aspirin, but it hasn’t consistently gotten better. 

She hasn’t been yelping or screaming in pain, thankfully, but we felt it was about time to take her to a professional to get looked over. We thought it was a simple sprain or strain, but unfortunately for us, it was indeed more serious than we thought. 

X-rays determined she basically pulled a tendon in her knee and required surgery to correct. The vet explained that we have a couple different options for treatment including getting worked into UGA’s Vet Med schedule, having a specialist come to her normal vet’s office, or being referred out to a local animal hospital for the procedure. I was most concerned about the timing and wanted the quickest availability so she could be on the path to recovery. We decided to go with the local referral since they would more than likely be able to see her the quickest. 

Once the doctor confirmed that she needed surgery, I got emotional and started crying a little while Krissy and I were alone because the last thing I want is for Nala, or Sasha for that matter, to be in pain when we could do something to fix them up. They are my family and I enjoy seeing them happy and healthy, not sad and hurting. 

Krissy was there to console me and I’m thankful that he’s always with me through the good times and the bad times. You never know when a typical Saturday might turn into a terrible one solely because of life’s bad news or unfortunate circumstances. I’m reminded every day that Krissy is my best friend and we’re going through life’s struggles together. Even though we’ve only been married for a year and a half and together for almost five years, we’ve already been through so much together. I couldn’t imagine dealing with the news that my dog needs a knee surgery without him by my side to keep me grounded as my rock. 

Her surgery is scheduled for Thursday, July 20th, so I’m hoping it goes well and that she’s able to come home quickly. One thing about Nala though, she hates the effects of sedation. She typically does this high pitched long whine but I don’t think she’s in pain, just disoriented and drugged. That’s definitely the worst part because it’s both heart wrenching and annoying at the same time. She did it when she got fixed and this past weekend when they had to put her to sleep for the x-rays. Thankfully, once the sedation wears off, she’s back to her typical self. 

I am a little nervous about her recovery. I just don’t want her to reinjure herself. I’m not sure where she will sleep since our house is two stories and I don’t think she’ll be able to go up the stairs for a while. I might end up carrying her up and down the stairs or just moving her cage downstairs so I won’t have to worry about her going too fast. 

I’m just ready for the surgery to be done so the anticipation leading up to it can go away. Like I said in Pearly Whites, most of my anxiety doesn’t stem from the medical procedure itself, but from the long wait leading up to it. 

I know Nala will come through the surgery like a champ and will be back wrestling with her sister in no time. All I have to say is, thank the Lord for pet insurance. 

Signed, 

Jessica Marie